I first joined the Royston Choral Society in 2018, having lived and worked in Brussels for over 20 years.
While in Brussels, I sang with a small a cappella [unaccompanied] chamber choir called The Brussels Madrigal Singers, whose repertoire was largely Renaissance. So coming to sing with the Royston Choral Society has been a very different experience: the last time I sang in a choir of this size was when I was at university - many years ago!
It has been a joy, not only to revisit works that I sang as an undergraduate such as the requiems of Verdi and Brahms, but also to be introduced to works that I’ve never before sung such as Britten’s War Requiem and Bach’s Mass in B minor.
My personal highlights have been our performances of Mozart’s Requiem, back in 2022 when we were emerging from the horrors of the pandemic and more recently, the St Matthew Passion by J S Bach - music that simply touches the soul!
Singing aside, I have also made several lovely friends within the section - something that helped me on a personal level, to integrate back into life in the UK as a retiree.